Replacing Maytag Neptune Bearings

Dominic Vautier
2-10

as with any frontloaded bearings go bad, but there
are several really good sites that describe
how to replace bearings on your Neptune washer. My Neptune washer has performed well
over the years except for the R11 problem
that cost me a new circuit board.

I wash about
twice a day, or at least once a day. So after 9 years, three kids
and two adults I have
probably lots of washings on it.

But the bearings went out and it made this 747
type noise during high spin. So I ordered the seal replacement kit
along with a set of bearings. The seal replacement kits are easy
to find but the bearings take a little more googling. Check out a bearing
supply store because the Maytag guys want to sell you the whole basket
for $500 and that's more than the entire unit is worth.

Like everything else in this world, bearing
replacement looks and sounds a lot easier than it is. There are several
good descriptions on the web about this job but I found some steps
have been left out and they are important steps.

Here are some of the tools I used.
You may not need them but I did.

1. A really big sledge hammer, about 9 lbs will do.

2. A smaller mallet.

3. Wire brushes.

3. Good pair or "C" ring removers. Go
to a car parts store like NAPA and get a good one. Do yourself a faver.

4. A long metal rod to help hammer bearings. I made mine from an
x-type lug wrench. Didn't need the forth socket.

5. A bearing puller. This is a modified
resonance puller that can be gotten from any auto parts store. Get a
whole bunch of washers to go with the puller. Buy lots of washers that
are bigger than the bearings.

6. A big fat piece of metal or bar with a hole in it
to pull the drum fully into place after it has been reinstalled.

7. A freezer to cool your bearings (and jets).

I'm just going to highlight the important points that I
found. The rest can be found elsewhere.

1. Remove spin basket pulley-easy to do.
2. Remove spin basket. A couple good shots with the big sledge
against a 2x4 does it.
3. Put lots of wd-40 on everything. Remove "C"
ring-easy to do if you have a good ring remover. otherwise swear a lot.
4. Remove outer bearing with puller. I used a socket extension
to get to the bolt (see diagram). This was hard to do.
5. Remove inner bearing with puller. Very hard to do. It needed some help with
the metal rod and the big sledge.
6. Clean everything. take a 300 sandpaper and remove dark ring
on outside of race and on front and back race.
7. Drive freezing bearings into place with mallet using iron
bar. Replace "c" ring. Don't forget the sleeve
although I don't see why it's there. Both races have a shoulder.
Go figgure.
8. Push spin basket in. Basket is not yet seated.
9. Put retaining bolt into big flat piece of iron and tread into end
of basket spindle, making sure you have several threads on it for torque.
10. Wedge two sockets on either side of bar and start to slowly
tighten bolt to seat spindle.
11. Continue with larger sockets until spindle is well seated. If
not seated seal will leak.
12. Finish assembly.

I hope that this along with some of the other
information leads to a successful repair.